The Water Crisis in Bangladesh

"I've got 99 problems and water is one, like what"

The Water Crisis in Bangladesh

"I've got 99 problems and water is one, like what"

The photograph below shows where the country "Bangladesh" is located on a map

Population

As of 2014, the population of Bangladesh is 158,512, 570.

Water's Issues

Bangladesh is having multiple issues with water. The salinity level of freshwater is increasing. The reasoning behind this is that the construction of the Farraka Barrage, (A structure in India) diverts water from the Ganges to irrigate Indian soil. Therefor, decreasing the flow of the Ganges. Salinity is also rising because of the sheer number of shrimp farms in many different bodies of freshwater. Climate change is another big part of this problem. The increase in salinity affects the quality of the groundwater and soil.

Another problem with water in Bangladesh is that groundwater is filled with arsenic, which is poisonous. Arsenic is the largest mass poisoning in history, affecting about 30-35 million people in this country. Being exposed to arsenic can lead up to severly damaged integral systems in the human body and could even cause cancer. Even worse, arsenic can lead to death.

Possible Solutions to Water Problems

The Bangladeshi government is trying their best to improve the infrastructure to help improve rainwater capture and to approach safe drinking water. Contaminated wells have been marked to turn people away. Although, the painted markers are fading and over 100,000 safe water points have been made. Arsenic treatment technologies are being investigated by the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. However, if a significant impact is going to happen, the government has to reinvigorate the arsenic policies created in the 90's , and edit the maximum exposure amount from 50 micrograms to 10.

Statistics

~90 percent of the Bengalis use groundwater as a water resource.

~Only 7 percent of the total land that creates the watersheds for the great rivers is in Bangladesh.